Friday, October 22, 2010

The Kisan Swaraj Yatra is a nation-wide mobilization drawing fresh attention to the continuing agricultural crisis in India, and calling for a comprehensive new path for Indian agriculture – that will provide livelihood and food security for small farmers, keep our soils alive, and our food and water poison-free.The bus-Yatra started at the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram on Oct 2nd, and pass through 20 states to reach Rajghat, New Delhi on Dec 11th (http://kisanswaraj.in) As a part of the yatra, the yatri’s are arriving at Chennai on 25th of October an will travel through the state for the next 4 days from their arrival. Agriculture , the back bone of India, today has been threatened by GM foods, land acquisition through SEZ and many more. To emphasize the threat of all these and to make people aware on safe food and consumption, Safe Food Alliance, Chennai invites you all to Welcome the yatri’s coming to Tamil Nadu.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Mylapore festival this evening saw street theatre with several skits on environmental themes enacted by the students of Madras School of Social Work.

The thrust of the evening was on getting across the message of Conservation to the audience and in particular create awareness on the dangers of GM Food, Bt Brinjal in particular.

The two enclosed pictures show the artists perform in front of a few hundred audience. The audience appreciated the message and all of them signed the petition requesting the CM of Tamilnadu to ban Bt Brinjal in this state also.

Thiru. Jeyachandran is one of the most respected, organic farmer and former Panchayat Leader in Tamilnadu. He hails from the Maduranthagam region. He has called for the comprehensive rejection of the Bt Brinjal by all villages in Tamilnadu and use the power of the Panchayats to express the same. In the following video,he calls for the farmers and villagers to reject the GM crop and pass resolutions requesting the Chief Minister to reject it for the entire state when the Grama Sabhai congregates on the 26th of January.

The following is a quick rough translation of the Editorial in the major Tamil Daily, Dinamani appearing on 22nd January 2010 regarding the Ministerial spat over Bt Brinjal and covers the entire issue rather well.

Naamdaan Kidaithooma (are we the only guinea pigs available?)

The issue of the Bt Brinjal has blown wide open and for everyone to see now. While the Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar claimed that the Expert Committee recommendation on Bt Brinjal is final, the statement by Environmental Minister Jairam Ramesh the very next day has rebutting this and stating that the final decision should rest with the government has given us much hope.

Sharad Pawar is the single leader of one of the coalition partners of the Congress Government in the Centre, the NCP. His recent decisions have been detrimental to the cause of the common man, particular farmers and has met with severe criticism as it seem to be largely favouring sugar mill owners, large traders, importers of food grains. While has shown no interest in increasing the procurement cost for paddy, wheat or sugarcane, his enthusiasm in procuring imported wheat at a higher price has caused heart burn among wheat farmers in particular.

The reason to recollect all this is to provide the backdrop for the current discussion on Bt Brinjal. Sharad Pawar’s statement that the Expert Committee recommendation is final could have created a catastrophy to this country. Thankfully Jairam Ramesh has reined in Sharad Pawar with his statement.

Bt Brinjal seeds are marketed by Mahyco, a name for an American Multinational company to sell seeds in India with a window dressing of few Indian names in it. The wonder is that this genetically modified brinjal has neither been planted large scale nor tested directly in any part of the world.

The Bt Brinjal, unlike Bt Cotton is a food product that is directly consumed by our people. The consequences of its toxic contamination and its consequences need no overstating. Also, while thousands of hectares of cultivable land is available in Developed Countries such as America, the lands of a gullible nation like ours is used for such experimentation is a clever tactic that certainly has not escaped our notice. How this strategy has escaped a strategist and clever politician such as Sharad Pawar is a big question.

Several thousand farmers have committed suicide after their Bt Cotton crop failed. The same Multinational does not seem to have given them any compensation. The labourers handling this variety of cotton in mills too have registered rashes and other ailments. We should not forget the fact that it took us quite a long time to shed the pride of Green Revolution and understand its long term (disastrous) consequences.

The Bt Brinjal has been introduced in India only by a Multinational Corporate.Their intentions are not that Indians should have more revenue from their Brinjal crops or that they should use less chemical pesticides or that their yield should go up by 3 or 5 fold.Though such claims are made for the purpose of advertising, their actual intention is to ensure that our traditional varieties of Brinjal are no longer cultivated. Once that happens, if we want to buy any Brinjal, we will have to rely on one Multinational or another, the price we pay for that will be heavy.

If we leave the commercial aspect aside for a moment, how can we estimate the damage due to the Bt Brinjal to the soil and environment? Let us remain the conservative suspicious fools, but, let us for a moment ask this question as to who will save us tomorrow if these seeds cause some damage to us? Where is the Multinational Union Carbide that caused deaths of thousands of people in Bhopal? Where is its Chairman Anderson, a prime accused in the case? What are the efforts that the Manmohan Singh government undertaken to bring Anderson to book? What is the status of those victim of Bhopal who still haven’t got adequate compensation and continue to suffer its consequences?

If such a fate befalls the users (or consumers) of Bt Brinjal tomorrow, who will help them? Should we forsake our traditional varieties of Brinjal and the future health of our soil to these ‘patriots’ who are negotiating to get a very low compensation even if there is a disaster due to a Nuclear plant with Multinationals setting up such plants.

TO uproot the British Empire, Gandhiji lifted a handful of salt at Dandi. We need to decide whether we use any salt in our food (to be provoked by the current situation). Alas, when the public vote is negotiated for a 500 and 1000 rupee note, what difference does it make if the negotiator is our own Sharad Pawar or the American Anderson?

Several farmer friends from Tamilnadu had booked their travel tickets in advance and some through TatKal for attending the consultation in Bangaluru. Several had already reached Hyderabad. Now, CEE calls everyone in the last moment and informs well beyond the working hours of any organization, that the Minister has a meeting to attend and has to hence postpone the meetings.

This raises several questions in the 'Democratic Process' as the Minister himself terms the consultations as to his Cabinet Colleague.

1) If the consultation is a democratic process, why was the criteria and choice of the venue for the consultations so arbitrarily declared. (In Ahmedabad, he had explained the criteria for each of the venues as Scientists filled towns for Hyderabad and Bangalore, Brinjal major cities of Bhubaneshwar and Kolkatta, Bt Cotton experienced cities for Ahmedabad and Nagpur and Major North Indian Agriculture City, for Chandigarh. Such criteria defies intelligence).

2) Except for CEE and those who know how to reach them and register as participant, there is no information in neighbouring states as to how we can participate in these consultations in advance. CEE officials in Hyderabad yesterday informed me that they are carrying the postponement information in the local media, what about those from Chennai and other parts of Tamilnadu who would have already reached the venue. How can a minister remember another appointment so late in the end of a working day and communicate it to the organizers. The public, particularly farmers, who spend their hard earned money to buy tickets need to be either compensated for the time, energy and cancellation charges or at least given adequate advance notice.

Maharaja's can perhaps call for or dismiss darbars based on their moods and bouts of amnesia, Democratically elected Ministers cannot, where is their responsibility towards the masses.

3) Is the Prime Minister aware that such consultations are being organized and has he endorsed this process? It is important that this be answered by the Minister because he has stated to his Senior Colleague in the Cabinet that he will submit his findings from the consultation to the PM by Feb 20th. What if the PM also says he didn't agree with this consultative process and will go by what the Expert Committee has recommended just as the Agricultural Minister has stated? What would be the weight of the consultative process? Several thousand people across the country have take precious time from their vocations to participate as they feel this is a democratic process and think it is their responsibility to express their views, but, does the Cabinet think so?

If there is already awareness in the Cabinet, then how come the Agricultural Minister can undermine such a democratic process by giving his opinion? How can the S&T minister express his opinion in a public meeting? Can't such statements be construed as contempt of the Democratic process?

4) The Minister has stated that apart from these consultations, he has also written to 50 top scientists in this country and abroad. On what basis has he chosen these scientists? He needs to come clean as to what would be the weightage of the scientist opinion vis-a-vis the opinion of the consultation. How would be reconcile the output of a political process with that of a technical opinion of whatever competence?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

MDMK website carried a statement by Thiru. Vaiko on the issue. The MDMK Leader has demanded that the State Government should demand a consultation be held on this important issue in the State of Tamilnadu also and has also condemned the silence of the State and Central Government on this issue.

Krishnan has designed the two stickers that can be printed in sticker sheets and stuck in four wheelers and two wheelers. Do download and use these images freely. Send us photos of where you stick them if you want to help, it will inspire others too to do the same.

Eminent Ayurvedic Vaidya in Chennai, Dr. P.L.T. Girija has come out against the introduction of Genetically Modified Food in the country. In a meeting at her clinic in Chennai today, she strongly criticized such move and said there was no reason for us go for GMOs in this country. Her handwritten letter with further endorsement of few more Ayurvedic Physicians below.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Our food is in for irreversible contamination, and our wealth of seeds in for irreversible loss because of a policy that our Government is planning to enforce in a month's time!

By learning what, why, how and ACTING NOW, we could all actually stop it from happening by exercising our rights for safe food!!

You may already know that Bt Brinjal, a genetically modified brinjal variety produced by a multinational company called Monsanto, is awaiting approval to be introduced in India. Bt is a soil bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis with pesticidal properties, whose gene is introduced into brinjal, which they claim will reduce pesticide use. But our experience with Bt Cotton introduced in India in 2003 has shown us that it is a false claim. Bt Cotton has * caused large-scale crop failure and has increased pesticide use, pushing lakhs of farmers to commit suicide. (See attachment)* killed thousands of cattle which grazed on the fields. * caused severe allergies and other illness for farm workers. GM foods introduced elsewhere in the world have caused massive crop failures and severe health problems. Jeffrey Smith has documented about 65 diseases and disorders in his book 'Genetic Roulette'. In Philippines, villagers living near GM Maize fields have even died! And for all these reasons, Italy, Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, South Africa and Switzerland have either banned or enforced a moratorium on the cultivation of GM food crops. Moreover, surveys say that more than 90% of Americans, and almost 100% of Europeans are against GM foods. In India, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttaranchal and Orissa have banned GM foods.

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Who are we ?

We are the alliance of physicians, lawyers, traders, human rights activists, farmers, consumers and academicians, who want to ensure safe and secure food to all, to make food safe and nourishing, to grow food that makes our soil fertile, restores our environment and secures farmers livelihoods.